Aanchal Saraf: Act now to forestall climate disaster

In response to letters from Peter Glanz ("Scientific debate should continue," Sept. 14) and other climate change skeptics:

In response to letters from Peter Glanz ("Scientific debate should continue," Sept. 14) and other climate change skeptics:

Over the years, many scientists have looked over the same data, analyzed the results, and derived the same conclusions: climate change is happening.

In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just released its 2013 report on climate change. The report confirms the certainty of climate change because of human activities -- chiefly the consumption of fossil fuels -- and also the severe repercussions for global health and environment if we continue with business as usual.

For instance, climate modeling done by the IPCC predicts that sea level in 2100 will put many small island states underwater and create millions of climate refugees. Not to mention the effects a warmer climate will have on proliferation of certain diseases and the success of species conservation efforts. When facing risks on this scale, we must act now, not to wait around for our actions to exacerbate the problem.